The Sandbox
by DoomLegionOfInjustice
Summary: To the chagrin of John, the government commissioned pursuit of "The Sandbox" initiative. The program brings a small group of high profile supervillains to a remote desert location for rehabilitation through simulated scenarios and combat situations. John is then forced to act as drill sergeant alongside his goofball teammate The Flash. Hilarity ensues, but so do darker mysteries...


**_I do not own DC Comics or its characters._**

**_I've been largely unsure of how to adapt this idea that I've had for a while, but I wanted to do a for-fun story that explored the woes and misadventures of the first "Injustice Gang" introduced on the Justice League cartoon back in the day. They had a fun dynamic and I think a story about them being forced into this kind of situation together could be a good time. I'm interested in seeing what you think. Note that this isn't strictly taking place in DCAU canon, but it is inspired by that universe._**

**_Hope you enjoy!_**

* * *

"This is it. My life has hit rock bottom," Cheetah cried as she stared out into the barren nothingness that lay before her. A tumbleweed blew past her to punctuate the mournful cry as it resonated across the empty canyon. It fell upon deaf ears, however, as her fellow inmates bickered a few feet away.

"Pink lady make Grundy go bye-bye," Solomon Grundy grumbled as he gestured in the direction which he was recently thrown.

"Ugh. He was breathing _literally_ down my neck. It is **too** hot and **too** uncomfortable for _anyone_ to be that close. Especially if you've got rotting skin and horrid teeth," Star Sapphire scoffed in her snooty sounding accent. The three others simply stared at her with disinterested expressions – each equally bummed out about their apparent situation.

One minute, the six villains were carrying out their typical routine at the plain, boring super criminal prison they had all grown accustomed to. The next, they woke up in a cramped metal hut positioned at the bottom of a desert canyon… no way in or out. Each of them had nothing with them other than their typical outfits, a severe migraine, and zero explanation as to what was going on. They were left to their own devices to speculate. And argue.

"Grundy not touch pink lady," the hulking zombie retorted. "But Grundy upset now."

"Could 'Grundy' continue his moral outrage a little more quietly?" asked a pale figure in a black top hat and equally dark glasses. "My tolerance for your nonsense only goes so far…"

"Look, can we **please** cut the crap and get onto something _worth_ carrying on about? Like maybe **WHAT ON EARTH WE'RE DOING IN A DESERT?**" Cheetah said with rage-filled eyes. The deadpan expressions on her companions' faces only fueled her rage further. She let out a ferocious, feral growl that clashed with the sharp howling of the wind.

"Chill out. No need to get your whiskers in a tangle this early," Tsukuri said nonchalantly. "There's no way the six of us were thrown out here **together** by accident or coincidence. There's likely a decent payday waiting for us if we can keep our heads a little longer until whoever organized this tango dance decides to show their face."

The mention of potential money to be made was enough to silence the ragtag collection of supervillains for a while. Dollar signs could almost be made out in their pupils. However, their expressions remained downcast as they stood silently in a circle – sand blowing around their ankles in drifts.

* * *

"Ugh. They stopped talking. They're just standing around staring at the ground now," the voice of a young man groaned disappointedly as he stared at the surveillance footage. The older man who stood behind him stood with arms folded tightly across his chest rolled his eyes.

"Honest to God, I can't decide what's worse," he said. "The fact that the good folks in Washington actually _agreed_ to this tomfoolery or the fact that I'm here being a part of it. I swear there's no sense left in those people these days."

"Lighten up GL. You're getting PAID to be a sourpuss and kick supervillain can in a _controlled_ environment. As in they can't even hit you back! How groovy is that!?" the young man exclaimed, turning around to meet the gaze of the ex-Marine.

"What stumps me even more is why on Earth they agreed to let you (of all people) co-lead this operation. We're supposed to be rehabilitating these freaks, not taking them to summer camp. No offense to you, but you're not the kind of person I'd put on an assignment like this," the older man continued.

"Hey, it _was_ my idea after all," the young man fire back, his green eyes lighting up with indignation. "Besides, you need a little heart if you're gonna try and change anyone to make them better people. Er, giant zombie men and furry cat-morph ladies… you know…"

"No, I don't," the man said standing up straight as the door opened behind him. A red-haired woman with large bird-like wings protruding from her back entered the room.

"The OpFor team is about ready to head out," she announced enthusiastically, smiling at the older man as she made her way over to the surveillance monitors. "How're they looking Wally?"

"Confused out the wazoo," the young man said, flashing a smile. "Just the way we want 'em."

"Good. We'll be sure to give it to them hard on our first go-around," the woman said, smiling back. She turned back to the other man who was still standing rigidly by the door. "Ready to step back into your boot camp days, Mr. Soldier?"

"Can't say that I am, really. This isn't anything like _my_ boot camp," he responded. "Plus, I wasn't the one running the show back then. I can follow orders, and I can give 'em if the situation demands it. But I'm no social psychologist. I don't think I can play 'drill sergeant' and 'psychoanalyst' at the same time. I doubt any of these people are going to turn from their criminal ways after a few weeks in dust and dry heat."

"Well, it wouldn't be the first time. Have a little faith, will you? For me at least?" the winged woman said putting her hand on his shoulder. His tight-lipped expression loosened a bit.

"Be careful out there now. They're subdued, but they can still do some damage if you're not on your guard."

"When have you seen me _not _on my guard?" the woman said over her shoulder as she exited the room.

"You've got a rookie on your team too, Shayera. Make sure she's not overstepping her bounds," the ex-Marine called after her after she had moved down the hall a ways.

"Count on me, sarge," she said in a mock salute. The man let out a quick side smile and quickly adopted a straight face as he turned to Wally.

"Ready to go?"

"Oh ho ho, SO ready!"

"Then let's hit it, hotshot."

* * *

**_So that's the intro. Hope you liked what you read. I know not a lot happened, but it's a set up for the main action that'll begin next time. The second chapter will be a bit longer anyway._**

**_I'd absolutely love to hear what you're thinking. Reviews would be much appreciated, but please don't feel pressured. I just figured I'd use them as a basis for gauging interest and whether I'll continue with this. But I'll definitely write part 2 at least._**

**_Until next time!_**


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